


Three of Swords

by obiwan_kenobabe



Series: Three of Swords [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Multi, obiwan-kenobabe, three of swords, threeofswords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obiwan_kenobabe/pseuds/obiwan_kenobabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The upright three of swords in the tarot deck stands for painful separation, sorrow heartbreak, grief, and rejection. The Three of Swords is a simply illustrated card with a difficult message. A heart, suspended in the air, is pierced by three swords. The heart is symbolic of emotion and beauty, while the piercing swords reflect the ability of logic and power to harm the physical body and the emotions of a person. The sky is heavily clouded and rain pours down violently, representing a grim moment in time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three of Swords

Ben sat back in his usual spot, taking up space in the student lounge with his usual coffee. Everything with him was routine. On days he had class, he biked to school, and sat in the lounge, looking more like someone who didn’t belong on a college campus than anything. His coffee never changed. Venti, hazelnut, regular cream but extra sugar, and an added blueberry scone. He walked the block to the coffee shop, then back, between his morning and afternoon classes. Sunglasses on, wind in his auburn hair, he loved the outdoors, and very much loved his quiet time. Ben’s mind was always going. Being older than most students here, he didn’t fit in well with the student groups and clubs, but he didn’t mind. Instead, he’d sit back in the faded upholstered chair and people watch. It gave him even more time to think. 

All Ben did was think. It was the entire reason he was back in school. Most people thought he was far too old, but what about all those uplifting university commercials that tell us ‘it’s never too late to go back’? Hell, it wasn’t like he was ninety. He was thirty one. So, he’d take his classes three days a week, and his coffee walks three days a week, and his campus people watching three days a week. Ben held this scholarly air, and was often mistaken for a professor. That right there never failed to make him blush and run his fingers through his hair as he fought to keep his composure in front of the very stranger who'd said it. He wished that’s how well his life was going, but things were sort of messy.

Ben had tried to start a business after taking just a handful of online business courses through some random university who was still bugging him for payment. That was hard to do though. His business tanked because of his lack of experience and expertise, and so there was no money to pay for previous classes. He’d jumped at any loan he could find for this time around, and by setting his mind to it, he planned on starting over with a degree. Hopefully that worked in his favor, even though he wasn’t quite full of business ideas after his last kicked the bucket in the first twelve months.

The late winter sun was coming through the lounges’ big windows just right, and Ben’s sunglasses didn’t come off his face. Honestly, it made it easier to scan the room and, most importantly, stay hidden. Since the beginning of the new semester, he’d noticed a girl that was always there. Did she ever go home? Did she live on campus? Ben didn’t know. All he knew was that she was that homey kind of attractive. You know, that full and bright smile, cute face, a laugh so warm it felt like sparks from a campfire, unconventional beauty kind of way. Ben smiled to himself just seeing her. Not in a creepy kind of way. More like this girl just lit up whatever room she was in, and he was lucky enough to witness it.

Today, this girl whom Ben found to be named Padmé, was sitting with her usual clique of friends. Even her friends seemed drawn to her, encapsulated by her aura perhaps. Maybe Ben was reading too much into this… But, he couldn’t be making up them kissing from time to time. Padmé and two other girls who he didn’t know were always closer than the rest of the group, sitting in laps and draping slender arms, tender kisses and little whispers when no one was watching. He guessed they didn’t want to be a spectacle, but honestly, they commanded every single pair of eyes when they walked in the room like Grecian goddesses. It made him sound creepy, at least in his head, but Ben liked to watch and see them just talk and joke from across the room, like living mythos. He didn’t have any odd thoughts normally, nothing explicit in his mind that usually ran on dirty thoughts, he just liked observing. It was the reason he sat in the lounge after all, even before these girls started coming in. He couldn’t help but wonder what their stories were, individually, separately, cosmically. 

Sipping the last of his coffee, Ben thought about maybe creeping on their facebook pages, especially Padmé’s. Maybe he could figure out the rest of their names? Maybe they had goofy friends group photos? No, that’d be super weird. Now his thoughts were verging on “cliche pillow fight at an all-girls slumber party” and he had to shut his mind up. That’s when Ben decided it was time he get to his second class. Standing up from the chair and smoothing out his bunched jean pant legs, he knocked back the remainder of his coffee and headed for the trashcan, before leaving the building all together.

The funny thing about Ben’s mind… as vulgar as it seemed at times, and as slow moving as it seemed at others, he was a borderline intellectual. He just didn’t apply himself. He had tried and tried all his life, and it still got him stuck at rock bottom. It was rough. But, that didn’t mean he was going to limit himself to just thinking about girls he didn’t even know in sexual situations all day. He, figuratively, got up and dusted himself off. Even if his life was rough, he still had to try. He had to do his best. And that’s why he was in college at thirty one. He still had so much life to live. After he had left the lounge, Padmé didn’t cross his mind, nor did the other girls. He was totally drawn into his next class. Maybe that was a good quality. He wasn’t complaining. He would have plenty of time to fantasize later…

Like now, on his bike ride home. The only thing that drew him out of his thoughts of the girl gang he observed earlier was the smell of freshly made pizza. He was itching to order some by the time he got home. He rushed to carry his bike up the apartment buildings’ stairs, and rushed to unlock the door before plopping down on the couch in the tiny living room. Smartphone in hand, he scrolled through listings for pizza places. One stuck out, listed as a new arrival to the neighborhood. Rosario’s. After looking quickly through the menu to see the price of a pie, he called in an order for delivery. Thirty to forty minutes. Now he had time to kill. Getting up off the couch after finally catching his breath post-bike ride, he meandered toward the fridge for a cold beer. He popped the cap off on the counter and leaned there with his hip. He felt like he had a good day. Once his pizza arrived, he would put on some music and sit down to study. He had to start his paper for his Tuesday class. He had already put it off until Friday. Oh well. Ben might come off as the kind of guy to work hard, but he always liked to say he worked best under pressure. It was a hidden quality, among others, that he did his best work with creeping time constraints and deadlines.

“Speaking of time constraints and deadlines…” Ben mumbled against the neck of the amber bottle. He pushed the home button on his phone to check the time. It had been thirty eight minutes since he'd ordered his pizza. Now, should he be a dick and try to get his pizza for free when the delivery person was late? Lowering his half empty beer to the kitchen counter, Ben moved to look outside the front door through the peephole. Nothing. Was the building hard to find? Maybe they were having an issue because it was a new business and they hadn't delivered to this part of town yet? He didn't know, but he did want to get his homework time started so his assignment wasn't any later than it needed to be. 

Walking to the couch, he plopped back down to dig in his backpack. He'd dumped it, along with his shoes the moment he’d come in from class. This was typical. Digging through, he pulled out his laptop and notebook where his research was, deciding to get ready for writing once his dinner arrived. While his finger was on the power button of his laptop, he heard his phone buzzing on the kitchen counter where he'd abandoned it moments ago. Leaving the couch and not entering his password, he bounded for the counter to see who was calling. The number lighting up his screen wasn't saved in his contacts, but Ben picked up anyways. 

“Hello?” He asked hesitantly, hoping the person who called had an explanation.

A male answered him, sounding out of breath. “Hi, is this… Obi Wan?” 

Ben breathed a sigh of relief. He had hoped it had to do with his late food, and really hoped he hadn't answered a random person calling him. “Yes, this is.” 

Ben didn't normally respond to his name, but it was on his credit card, so he had to roll with it for purchases and bills and such. 

“I've been running all over this building! I can't find your apartment. Can you help me out?” The male voice, seemingly annoyed, rang out almost shrill through the receiver.

It took all of Ben's power of self control not to laugh at the man he didn't know. “Sure. Let me stand in the hallway. Make sure you're on the third floor. I know the twenty-somethings are split between the second and third. Sorry about that.” 

No sooner had Ben said that, he heard the line go silent. Was the other guy trying to be an asshole? Clutching his phone still, Ben went to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open to stand in the hallway like he'd said. After another moment's time, he was starting to wonder if the delivery guy was even in the right building. But no sooner had he thought it, he saw the man carrying the pizza down the hall in a hurried fashion. The taller male seemed relieved to see the customer standing outside his door like he’d said he’d be. 

“One large pepperoni, for Obi Wan?” The pizza man offered a reserved smile, extending the receipt towards Ben to sign as he came to a stop in front of him. 

“Yeah, that’s me.” Ben said plainly, taking the slip and pen, turning to use the wall to clearly sign his name.

“Hey, it’s not my place…” The pizza man said quietly after clearing his throat, “But, Obi Wan… What kind of name is that?” He shifted uncomfortably, hoping his customer didn’t chew him out for asking.

Ben turned back to him with a half smirk curling his lips. “Why do you ask? It’s mine, that’s what kind of name it is, kid. Not used to unique names?” With that, he handed back the signed copy and the pen, and the pizza man handed him his pizza.

“Actually, I am pretty used to unique names.” After Ben had the pizza box secure in his hand, the boy shoved the signed receipt in his pocket before running his fingers through his shaggy hair. “Mine is Anakin.”

Ben’s smirk grew even more. “Well Anakin, I guess we have something in common.” The smirk seemed to annoy pizza boy Anakin, making him roll his eyes skyward.

“Enjoy your pizza man, and next time maybe give some special instructions on how to find your apartment.” Anakin nodded short, and then turned on his heels to leave.

“Have a good rest of your night, Anakin.” Ben mumbled, heading back inside to settle in and eat. That boy (man?) was cuter than he’d expected a pizza delivery boy to be.

Trying not to let the cute man's attitude get to him, Ben retired to his cozy living room, pizza box in hand after stopping in the kitchen for more beer and a paper towel. Plopping down on the couch, he entered his password into his laptop before opening the top of the pizza box. One thought from earlier kept bugging him though. He was still hung up on the odd yet interesting relationship status of the goddess-come-alive, Padmé. Opening a new tab on his already-open browser, it took a simple Facebook search to find her profile. 

“Padmé Amidala…” He muttered to himself, expanding the link to browse her entire profile. Her profile picture looked as if it was taken mid-laugh, and surrounding her small face were tight brunette curls that filled the rest of the cropped space. Ben didn’t enlarge the image, instead he scrolled to see what she had public. Was this weird? Maybe a little weird, but he did have a purpose, he wasn’t just stalking her for fun or anything. His eyes fell on the ‘about’ section, where it said her birthday, where she lived, where she was from, her relationship status…Single? That couldn’t be correct. Maybe she just hadn’t updated her Facebook in a while? Scrolling down a little further, he saw that she had updated her status three days ago, so she was active on here. This took a little investigation work on Ben’s part. 

There were plenty of photos of Padmé being social, plenty of group photos and selfies with all those girls that normally surrounded her at school. Even some with cheek kisses and goofy faces. The more Ben looked at these, the more he wanted to befriend this girl. But instead he was sitting on his couch, eating pizza and creeping on her Facebook page. Closing the tab, he sat more comfortably back in the couch, moving the pizza box onto his lap as he scanned over his typed up research. He had to focus on this paper. After that, he’d have plenty of time to read, or play video games, or whatever. He could do anything as a reward, as long as he finished early enough. In his head, his plan was to finish by the time he went to bed tonight. If he’d make his mental deadline, even he didn’t know. The paper was due on Tuesday after all. He had all weekend…

Getting lost in the research but still not finding his direction, Ben found himself reading his typed notes, but not comprehending them. Maybe the two beers were enough to take away his focus and give him tired eyes. He set down the pizza crust of his fourth piece, leaning in closer to try and focus. He barely had an introduction typed up in Docs, let alone any substantial body material. He wasn’t sure he liked how this paper was even going to go. Why were business classes so boring? Some nights he couldn’t even pull together enough words to finish his homework. And the discussion questions he had to answer in response to other students in his class? Don’t even get him started. Not that he hated everyone, he just thought that at times, they were completely incomprehensive and incompetent. He knew he dated himself in thinking this, but he wasn’t sure the younger kids in college took these classes seriously. Rubbing his eyes, Ben knew this paper wasn’t getting done tonight. Saving and shutting down his laptop, he cleaned up after his take out dinner before turning out the light and heading for his bedroom.

Ben followed routine, even before bed. Headed to the bathroom, he first checked if his beard was still perfectly groomed, then he flossed, brushed his teeth, and topped it off with mouthwash. He cared a lot about personal hygiene. It was important that he always look his best. Going into his room, he undressed and put all his dirty clothes in the hamper, before going to pick out tomorrow’s outfit. Standing in front of his closet in just his plaid boxers, Ben picked out a cozy green sweater and khaki slacks, nothing too exciting. He owned a lot of earth tones. He was told by an ex once upon a time that it complimented his hair color. As someone who liked to always look his best, Ben took that compliment to heart. Even though the girl was long gone, he still remembered what made him look sharp. Picking out a random pair of socks and boxers, he put all of tomorrow's clothes on the chair by the door. He was already thinking about what watch to pair this all with, which shoes, which sunglasses. Of course, he’d make his final decision once he was getting ready to leave in the morning.

Checking the time on his phone, he groaned. He had wasted so much time researching for his paper he didn’t even make a dent in. It was nearly two in the morning. Peeling the covers back on his precisely made bed, Ben climbed inside. He may have been tired, but he couldn’t resist going through all available social media before bed. Facebook was boring and he had no notifications, just old stories he’d read during the day. Twitter was just people arguing, and freaking out over dumb things celebrities did. Sometimes he felt like an old man. He had all these social media accounts, but no interest in any of them. Ben like Snapchat and Instagram mostly, because he got to see snippets of people's’ lives. He was always one to take photos and keep them close to his heart. Opening Instagram, he scrolled through photos of art, pottery, flowers, fish, the occasional selfie… Then he had a thought.

Moving his pointer finger to the search bar, he typed “Padmé Amidala” and awaited what results came up. An account with her name and the handle ‘musingpadme’ came up as the first result. Guessing it was her, he expanded the profile. Ben was happy to see smiling selfies of the beautiful girl, and posts of sheet music, her guitar, and her keyboard. Even more intriguing were her various photos with girls. Some where they were holding hands, others with shared kisses, and some just plain goofy ‘girls night out’ selfies. Padmé was, in fact, a normal girl and not a goddess walking among men. Maybe he was feeling ballsy, maybe he just genuinely wanted her photos on his timeline, but he pressed the ‘follow’ button and closed Instagram all together. Maybe she’d follow him back?

Completely bored, but not tired enough to fall asleep, Ben opened Tinder. A bunch of profiles popped up as he swept either left, or right. This was what he really did in his spare time. He was trying to find someone to date that would really be a good match. Maybe Tinder wasn’t the best place to find love, but it was a start. He didn’t have time, or money for that matter, for a real dating site. So he’d just swipe either left or right when he got bored during the day until someone really caught his eye.

After swiping left on a blonde with interesting large front teeth who was twelve years younger than him, he stumbled across an account by complete chance. No, it wasn’t Padmé, it was the cute pizza boy, Anakin. Ben had to squint to look more closely at the pictures on the profile. Yup, that was definitely the delivery boy from Rosario’s pizza. 

“Anakin Skywalker, 21.” 

This meant that pizza boy was ten years younger than him. Was it okay for Ben to still find him attractive? Ben kept reading. 

“Hi, my name is Anakin. I’m looking for someone with an open mind and an open heart, ready for unconventional romance and adventure. Let me take you out for a drink and let’s get to know each other... PS. I’m bisexual.” 

There wasn’t much to his message, but Ben now thought he was more interesting than their five minute encounter in the hallway. Was this just a mistake? He had been kind of an ass on the phone and in person. Maybe that’s why he was single? Ben was making a lot of guesses to questions he had no answers to. Holding his breath, Ben quickly swiped right just to see what might happen.

To Ben’s surprise, the screen of his phone lit up with the words ‘It’s a match!” For real? Ben blinked, letting go of the breath he was holding. He stared for another second at the shaggy haired boy in the little bubble. That was enough to make him close the app and put his phone on the charger. It was, indeed, time for bed. It had been an interesting, yet uneventful day. No homework had been done though, so that meant he had to make sure it happened tomorrow instead. No bar hopping with friends, he had to be responsible. After all, he was paying to go back to school.

Just as he was drifting, Ben heard his phone buzz and sound off. He got a text, or an email, or something. He had to start putting his phone on ‘do not disturb’ at night… Curiosity got the best of him though, and with one eye open he reached on the bedside table for his phone. 

“New conversation with Anakin S.” Lit up the screen. Swiping and entering his password, it took him no time to read the short message. 

“Well… this is weird.” was all Anakin said, and it made Ben give a tired half-smirk. He took only a moment to type up a response. 

“Just a little… But I was surprised to see that it was a match, Anakin.” His smirk only widened, as he turned into full flirt mode. 

Anakin’s response was fast also. “So, you swiped right obviously… like what you see?”

How flirtatious. This boy could give Ben a run for his money. Crafting his response, all he said in return was “Well so did you…”

“Listen, Obi Wan,” Reading this made Ben roll his eyes. He should have never told him about his ‘weird’ name. “I may have swiped right, but it was a while back, before I delivered your pizza.”

Ben shook his head, and laid flat on his back now, holding his phone over his head as he typed. “Can I request you as a pizza boy every time I order from your work?”

Anakin’s quickest and wittiest response came next. “If we exchange numbers, you can just order me whenever you want. ;)”

It was probably a good thing Anakin wasn’t there right now, because poor romantic Ben was blushing so hard he had to lock his phone momentarily and scrub his hands over his tired face. When he finally recovered, he unlocked his phone again, sending Anakin just his phone number in response. Now it was officially time for bed.

**Author's Note:**

> After writing that Ben was completely enamored with some forms of social media, and that he had found Padmé on multiple platforms, I thought it'd be fun to play around and make these fictional characters Instagram and Twitter accounts! 
> 
> Follow them here.  
> Padmé: twitter.com/musingpadme - instagram.com/musingpadme  
> Ben: twitter.com/owkenobi31 - instagram.com/owkenobi31  
> Anakin: twitter.com/fuckingskyguy - instagram.com/fuckingskyguy
> 
> Also, feel free to check me out on tumblr and drop me a message to tell me what you thought about my fic!  
> obiwan-kenobabe.tumblr.com :)


End file.
